


Because Our Hearts Will Clear Up Just Like The Skies

by eRHa, fuRinjuru (Greatfinn)



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, Soulmates, You Riko Week 2018, YouRikoWeek2018, colorblind au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 16:46:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17125049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eRHa/pseuds/eRHa, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greatfinn/pseuds/fuRinjuru
Summary: [Written for YouRiko Week 2018]The first time You and Riko met was a telltale of their entire relationship; clumsy, awkward, unexperienced, and yet bringing color to each other's lives.





	Because Our Hearts Will Clear Up Just Like The Skies

The water lapped at Riko’s toes as she sat hunched down on the wet, muddy sand, gazing into the colorless expanse of the ocean, as well as the washed out dark-blue sky of the night above it. One color people took for granted, a color so vital to the human race at a whole... the color of oxygen, water, the calming bluish glow of blanketed snow, and what did it have to do with Riko herself?

Nothing. She couldn’t see it. Every single hue of the mysterious pigment was replaced with this unexplainable, boring, depressing gray. It sucked the life right out of her. She couldn’t count the clouds flying overhead on a sunny day, since they blended in with the silvery sky. Many kinds of food were unappealing to her, starting at various types of fish, through fruit- blueberries, even plums, blackcurrants, and lighter purple grapes looked muddy to her; the beautiful pigments mixed with the dispiriting gray.

For Sakurauchi Riko, this whole soulmate thing? It was way more trouble than it was worth. Would the world not be better off without the phenomenon? Would she have been a painter, instead, were she able to see all the colors the world has to offer? Such thoughts were a staple of teenagehood, one’s loneliest, yet most important part of life.

Underneath the sound of the sea breeze, Riko heard the sound of sand crunching underneath a pair of sandals behind her. Turning around, she came face-to-face with another young girl. In the darkness of the night, the girl seemed almost radiant, with her bright orange hair and glimmering red eyes. She seemed to be carrying something in her arms, but Riko couldn’t see clearly enough to tell what it was.

The newcomer smiled when Riko turned to face her. “Oh, you’re awake! That’s good; you would’ve caught a cold if you fell asleep here.” She walked over to the space beside Riko, sitting down on the sand without a care in the world.

Riko frowned at the newcomer. All this empty space on the beach, and she decided to just sit next to her?

It was obvious to her what the other girl planned on doing, but Riko wasn’t in the mood for any sort of conversation. Not to mention the fact that she just sat there, without asking if Riko wanted to talk.

She turned her head away from her, and back to the empty, gray sea. If she ignored her, then she didn’t doubt the other girl would eventually have left her alone, just like everyone else.

Unfortunately for her, that wasn’t what happened. Instead, she felt the pressure of something being placed on her shoulders. It was a blanket. Turning her head, she realized that the act of kindness had come from the girl beside her. Muttering a small thank you under her breath, she pulled on the edges of the fabric, wrapping it around her to keep herself warm.

“I saw you from my balcony and thought you were sleeping, so I brought a blanket just in case. That way, you wouldn’t catch a cold.” The girl giggled, proud of herself for having thought of that. As she sat down again, however, it became increasingly clear that _she_ was the one who was cold, from the light shaking of her body, to her shallow breaths, and how she wrapped her arms around her body to preserve warmth. Giving her a once-over, Riko saw that her attire consisted of a t-shirt and shorts, neither of which would keep her very warm. It was still quite cold at night, it was the middle of April, after all.

Rolling her eyes, Riko motioned for the girl to get under the blanket as well, feeling slightly annoyed when she refused. “I’ll be fine, it’s not my first time out late at night.” The ginger explained, waving her hand up and down.

“You’re shaking, though.” With a little more force, Riko asked the girl again, which she reluctantly accepted. The blanket wasn’t too big, just barely able to cover their backs when they sat next to each other, but it made the cold night a fair bit more bearable.

(She tried really hard not to think about how the other girl’s warmth also contributed to her feeling less cold)

“Oh, I’m Chika, by the way! Chika Takami.” The girl had finally introduced herself, and Riko was glad she could finally refer to her with her name instead of ‘the girl.’

“Riko Sakurauchi.” She extended her right hand, which the girl-- _Chika,_ she corrected herself--looked at awkwardly for a few seconds, before enveloping it with her own. Chika’s hand was really warm, pleasantly so, that she wanted to keep holding it for warmth. And so, for an embarrassingly long period of time, she continued to shake Chika’s hand, the other girl feeling more awkward by the second.

Dispelling such thoughts from her head, she pulled her hand away, missing the sudden loss of warmth. After that, Riko wanted to bury herself in the sand until Chika left so she could preserve her dignity. The most she could hope for was that Chika would feel too awkward to ask her about it.

“So, uhh, Sakurauchi-san.” Chika decided to break the silence between them, much to Riko’s chagrin. “I haven’t seen you here before.”

“I just moved here.” She replied quietly.

“Mhm.” Came Chika’s acknowledgement, the space between them becoming even more awkward to the redhead. Riko fidgeted, accidentally brushing the blanket off of Chika, much to the others amusement. “So, where did you move here from?” She asked, pulling the blanket back on her shoulders.

“Tokyo.” Came Riko’s curt response, an involuntary shudder coming over her, immediately thinking back to her failed piano show, which was still fresh on her mind a month later. “A-Akihabara.”

Chika furrowed her brows, taking that shudder and the stutter in the Sakurauchi girl’s voice as signs of her getting cold. Crossing their arms together, Chika shot up, arm in arm with the redhead, surprising Riko who had temporarily forgotten how to stand due to shock with her sheer strength, as she leaned on the shorter, albeit well-built girl.

“It’s way too cold to stay outside~! Where do you live? I’ll walk you home!”

Riko’s face flushed at the very discernible and toned bicep muscle still very much entwined with her own lanky, slender arm. With a shaky finger, she pointed at her new house, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Chika.

She did _not_ trust her voice right now. She already seemed weird enough, at least for someone who she had just met.

“Ah! You’re with the family that just moved in this afternoon!” Chika exclaimed, pumping her fist against an open palm and smirked in self-satisfaction, letting Riko out of the armhold before continuing. “Hey! We’re neighbours! Can I call you Riko, Sakurauchi-san?”

‘ _N-neighbours? Oh dear…’_ Riko desperately thought to herself, nodding to the ginger’s question to not seem rude before scanning the neighbourhood. All the lights in the houses on the entire street were turned off, as it was a Thursday night, and everyone was resting before the last busy day of the week. All but one. Marked with several signs, a ryokan inn still had several lights on.

If that were her house, then…

“Y-Your house… is next to mine?” Riko breathed out, cursing her luck. It would be just like cruel Fate, to make the worst possible first impression on someone you would be seeing regularly for the next several years, if not longer! And someone so pretty, too!

“Yep! Hey, is that balcony yours? I hope so, our rooms would even be facing each other! We could talk to one another whenever we want!” Chika shouted, absolutely radiating, oblivious to the meltdown happening in Riko’s head.

“Yeah… we can be… the best of friends!” She responded, straining her voice to not sound unenthusiastic, or, gods forbid, annoyed.

At that, Chika gave her the largest smile, beaming with excitement, before asking a question.

“Hey, so tomorrow’s Friday and I’m stuck in school… But do you wanna maybe hang out the day after? I could show you around Uchiura! Maybe take you to Numazu, even?”

At that, Riko nodded, caught like a deer in headlights by the terrifying turn of events.

It appeared that the move-in week was going to be more hectic than expected for Riko.

 

* * *

 

Friday came in like a lion for one You Watanabe, who was late for class for the first time in an eternity. Where eternity equaled a number between thirteen and fifteen days; an impressive record for her, really. Everyone would agree with that. Maybe except her mother and most school faculty. So really, only her dad would have her back there. 

Scrambling onto the bus, she was met with an eerily familiar-unfamiliar scene of a certain blue-haired beauty calmly swiping her finger on her phone, sitting in the back row. She was completely unperturbed by her own tardiness, lost in her own world which consisted of gacha games and online friends.

Huffing to herself, You walked over and plopped down next to Yoshiko, one of her best buddies from Shoushin - Numazu Girls’ High School, the school that they both attended.

“Ohayousoro~!”

“Ohayohane.” Came near instantly, with not even a glance sent her way, the younger girl barely acknowledging her existence when playing on the phone. You wouldn’t dare look over at the occult enthusiast’s phone screen, not after last time when she found her looking at--

“What are you spacing out for again?” Was directed at her from the suddenly suspicious first year, who had furrowed her brow and edged a few inches away from her.

“You always think of something perverted or downright stupid. Whatever it is, knock it out of that saltwater-filled head of yours.” Came the not-so-undeserved verbal beatdown, as Yoshiko was spot on with her accusations of silly thoughts.

“Urk--! It’s like you can read my mind at times!!” The sailor wannabe exclaimed, grabbing her head and pulling on her hair.

“You’ll be the first to know when my esper powers advanced that far, Y-Oni.”

You perked up at the new nickname, compared it to the previous, bizarre ones, and shrugged it off. _‘Beats being named after a monkey-dog that echoes people.’_

“Oh, come o~on! Why do you keep naming me after yokai?”

At that, the young esper chuckled in a grim manner, making the Watanabe girl’s hair stand on end. Several heads were whipped their way with worried looks crossing their features, so the two gave sheepish grins and went back to their conversation.

“Be-cau-se! You’re my little demon! A fearsome minion! And we can’t have you being some fluffy…”

Yohane paused for a short while, the gears in her head turning and turning, but ultimately being unable to come up with a fluffy, harmless monster of any kind… Apart from You herself, who was a perfectly fine example of a monster - who can even handle getting top-of-the-class grades, top scores in a sports club, _and_ a healthy social life?!

The second year inclined her head, hurrying her friend along by making rotating motions with her hand, which frustrated the occult enthusiast who smacked the offending appendage down, the two then stuck their tongues out at each other.

“Lycanroc!”

“Um… You mean… Like *a* rock.”

“No-- what?! No, no no, like the Pokemon! You look just like it, too! Salt-and-pepper colored fur-- I mean! Hair! Blue irises...”

“Huh.”

“You also have a puppy-like demeanor!”

“Oh… Hey!”

As the two settled down in silence, their giggles dying down, but the only thing You could focus on was the soulless, bland, uncolored ribbon on Yoshiko’s chest that signalized her status as a first-year, fluttering in the late-spring breeze, on top of the light, summertime sailor uniform.

Gold, yellow, amber - those colors were known to her only through writing, their true hues completely alien to her. The midday sun, piercing through the waters above often sent waves of unease coursing through You when underwater, in her own element.

Autumn, when it came around, was more depressing for her than for most people, the trees becoming truly gray, long before than their leaves were even due to fall. Colorful, deep stones she sometimes found in the sand shimmered with browns but also stifling, dark not-colors.

Ambers, her mom once explained. A beautiful jewel that both her mother, and her father could see from birth. Not You, though. Soulmate colorblindness was not hereditary, as it was said to represent the color of your lifelong partner. It is most often related to their eye color - both her parents had blue eyes, and, after several days of dating, they started seeing blue.

As such… You often found herself wondering - how sad was it, to live near the sea and not see a single shade of blue? Was that the color her soulmate had been missing her whole life? What if a completely different hue represented her own person, like pink? Or brown? And how long would it take for her to find that someone, whose life she could complete, if such a person was even out there?

“Knock it out.” Startled the second year out of her gloom musings. The blue-haired girl was looking at her with a look that could have been described as something between worry and exasperation. Annoyance, even.

“Yeah, yeah…” You replied sheepishly, guilty of, once again, thinking of silly things. She had always supposedly gotten this lonely, far-away look whenever she thought about soulmates, and what awaited her.

“You’re getting on my nerves with your hopeless demeanor! Are you a kicked puppy, or the great Y-Oni, conqueror of Onigashima, feller of Momotaro?!” Yohane exploded, kicking the fierce talk about yokai and monster back into gear.

“W-Wahh! Am I Shuten-doji herself, now?!”

“Ha! Yes, you are the strongest of the Oni, though you must watch out for Minamoto Rai-Kurosawa!”

“Ha! To me, she is but an Inchling!” You deflected, though she never wanted to actually face the fury of the third year.

As the two continued their mock-bickering and fooling around, their giggles filled the bus, putting You completely at ease, and making her forget about her earlier worries in regards to soulmates. In her bleak hours, she could always count on Yohane to have her back in her own, unique, unusual way.

Fairly often she found herself wondering, how differently would her life have gone, were the Tsushima cutie to be her soulmate… But such wishful speculations were a thing of fickle dreams that disapparated when she woke up. She had known Yoshiko since Middle High, that would be three years of friendship, whereas the longest recorded amount of time that passed between soulmates meeting and… connecting, so to speak, was five months.

“That’s a new one.” Yoshiko commented under her breath, but loud enough to be heard. The Watanabe girl turned her head at that, curious what the other meant. “A new look on your face.” She added, continuing.

“This one is even more pathetic than the _‘tfw no gf’_ face you made earlier!” Yohane exclaimed, pointing her index finger at her friend’s face, almost poking her eye out with her red, painted nails.

“Yeah, I’m kinda feeling blue lately…” You replied, wincing at the internet lingo interwoven into the younger girl’s speech mannerisms. “Hey, how about we hit the Arcade tomorrow?”

Yoshiko visibly lit up at that, eager to enter her domain of fire and brimstone yet again, though she tried to hide her excitement, failing miserably.

“If I wake up before noon, then sure thing.” She said, nonchalant.

The rest of the ride passed in comfortable silence, Yohane busying herself with, once again, tapping away at a game on her phone, and You whistling to some energetic tune.

 

* * *

 

Friday, surprisingly, wasn’t as hectic as Riko expected. With Chika at school, her mother taking care of the paperwork for her to transfer to Uranohoshi, and with very few neighbours around, Riko was completely bored. She thanked the gods she had the foresight to buy enough new doujins in Tokyo to fill up a box before moving, giving her a way to pass the time.

She was roughly halfway through the box when she heard the doorbell ring. Putting a bookmark at the page she was reading, she ran downstairs, wondering who it could be. Her mother couldn’t have been done yet, and she doubted Chika would be home already. Maybe one of the other neighbours?

When she opened the door, she found a woman waiting at the other side. She was a fair bit shorter than Riko, her hair a short, orangish-brown that was reminiscent of Chika’s. Even her eyes, like Chika’s, had that red tint to them which she assumed was probably genetic. However, she also seemed much more mature than the girl she met yesterday.

“Good afternoon.” The woman greeted, breaking Riko out of her own thoughts. “You must be Riko. It’s a pleasure to finally meet the person my daughter has been talking about for the past day.”

“Your daughter?” It took a few seconds for Riko to put the pieces together, but finally everything clicked. “Then, you’re Chika’s mother?”

“Mhm, that’s correct!” She nodded, smiling cheerfully. “And I have to say, you look every bit as cute as Chika described. No wonder you caught her eye.”

“T-thank you very much, Ma’am.” Riko blushed, wondering what Chika said about her. Before she could have dwelled on that for too long, Chika’s mother lifted a plastic bag, offering it to Riko.

“Consider this a welcoming gift from us. We hope your family enjoys it.”

Slowly, Riko took the gift with both hands, being careful with handling it. Peeking into the bag, she saw dozens of small mandarins sitting at the bottom. “There’s so many...is it really fine for me take all of this?” Riko asked, looking up at Chika’s mother again.

“Of course! You can even have more, if you want! Mikans grown in Uchiura are the best in Japan. They’re so good, you’ll be addicted to them after just one bite! At least, that’s what my daughter says.”

Riko giggled, nodding her head. “I see. Thank you again for the gift.”

“You’re welcome.” Chika’s mother smiled in return. “Now, I’m very sorry to have to leave you so suddenly, but I don’t trust my daughters or my husband enough to let them run the ryokan by themselves. But if you need anything else, just knock on our door and one of us will be glad to assist you. Especially Chika.”

“There’s no need to apologize, Ma’am. Thank you again for the mikans.”

Chika’s mother bowed before walking back to her own house. Riko closed the door before putting the bag on the dining table for later. She would love to try one now, but she didn’t want the juices to stain her books.

Running back to her bedroom, she picked up the doujin and went back to reading, indulging in her guilty pleasure once more. Soft, classical music was playing through her phone’s speaker, creating the perfect reading atmosphere. It felt like she was in the scene in the book, standing in a large ball, watching as the main characters danced in the middle, while also dancing around their feelings for each other. It made her want to scream, split between wanting to see those two get together right now because ‘ _it’s so obvious, just kiss already!’_ but also wanting them to drag it on for just a bit longer, if only to see their relationship ripen even more.

She ignored the slight pang in her heart, wondering when she would be the one in their place, to have someone look at her with that kind of emotion and love in their eyes. She sighed melancholically, trying to distract herself by focusing on the book in her hands, but it was getting hopeless. With each scene change, she saw herself and another figure. Whether it be under a street lamp at night, sharing a can of coffee, or between the blooming sakura trees acting out the same cliched confession scene she’d seen hundreds of times before yet still filled her with excitement, all of it gave her a sense of longing.

Frustrated, she shut the book closed, placing it on her bedside table for some other time. Maybe she should stay away from overly sappy books for now. Digging out a different doujin from her box, she started to read it. This one was more of a comedy, the jokes contained within helping her forget her previous worries, if only momentarily.

She wasn’t sure how much more time passed as she went through the doujins with a renewed vigor. All she knew was that it was a few hours at least, because when she finally came back to the real world, she hears someone calling out to her from the direction of her balcony.

When she looked, she wasn’t all that surprised to see Chika in her room, the upper half of her body leaning forward as she tried to attract Riko’s attention. Unfortunately, Riko left her curtains open, so she couldn’t pretend that no one was home.

Knowing that Chika wasn’t the type of person to back down until she got what she wanted, Riko closed the book she was reading and walked out into her balcony. Chika smiled when she saw her, immediately greeting her with a loud and boisterous, “Riko-chan!”

“Takami-san,” Riko replied, causing Chika to frown.

“You can call me Chika-chan!”

“We only met yesterday,” Riko stated matter-of-factly. “There’s no way I can be that informal.”

“But you let me call you Riko-chan, though!”

 _“Yeah, well, you were the one who asked in the first place,”_ was what Riko wanted to reply with, but she bit back her tongue, instead asking, “do you usually come home this early?”

Chika nodded. “I’m not in any clubs, so usually I just head home after school.”

“You’re not interested in joining any of the clubs?”

“Not really.” Chika shook her head. “There’s nothing that I really like doing. Other than softball, but I’m not too good at that anymore...what about you Riko-chan? What do you like doing?”

“What do...I like doing?” Riko went silent, glancing at the piano in her room. Could she say that she still liked playing it? A few years ago, she would’ve answered that question with complete confidence, but after everything that happened, ending with her total failure during her last performance, she wasn’t so sure.

Her silence must’ve dragged on for longer than she thought, as she heard Chika’s concerned voice asking her if she was okay. Snapping back to attention, she offered a thin smile to Chika. “Sorry, I was a bit distracted,” she explained. “I like...playing piano, I guess?”

“You play piano?” Chika’s eyes lighted up like stars at that, leaning forward a bit more as she tried to look into her room. “That’s so cool! Oh oh, can you play something for me?”

“No.” Riko answered quickly, although she immediately regretted it when she saw Chika’s smile drop. “Maybe some other time. I’m just not feeling it today.” That seemed to perk her right back up, much to Riko’s relief.

“I’m looking forward to it!” Chika said, her tone loud and excited at the thought of listening to Riko’s playing. It’s a shame that Riko herself didn’t feel any excitement when she played.

Instead of responding with another bout of pessimism, Riko decided that dropping the topic entirely would be the better option; talking about this with Chika made her feel uncomfortable.

Chika, who noticed Riko’s growing discomfort, got the hint and decided to change the subject to something more casual. With her quick-thinking, it didn’t even take that long for her to find something else to talk about.

“How’s Uchiura?” She asked, wanting to know Riko’s opinion on her new home.

“It’s...okay. But different.”

“Well, you’re from Tokyo. It can’t get much more different than here!” Chika exclaimed, grinning at Riko.

“I suppose so,” Riko smiled as well, Chika’s infectious happiness slowly getting to her. She looked away from Chika to stare at the sun setting on the horizon, coloring the sky red. “I never thought I’d see a sunset so clearly before. It’s so pretty.”

“Is it?” Riko glanced back at Chika. The other girl was also watching the sunset, but her expression contained a sort of melancholy to it that Riko hadn’t seen before. “You’re making me pretty excited. I can’t wait to meet my soulmate so I can finally see what I’ve been missing out on.”

“What you’ve been missing out on?”

Chika nodded, giving Riko a bittersweet smile. “My soulmate’s color is red.”

“You can’t see red?” Riko asked, feeling guilty that she made Chika feel self-conscious about her colorblindness. Against her expectations, Chika just kept smiling at Riko.

“I guess you’re right, but the way you say it makes it sound so negative. You remind me of someone else I know, Riko-chan.” Chika looked back at the sunset. Riko wondered what Chika saw in this scene. Having a lifeless, dull, gray sky hovering over you at all times was enough to get Riko down, yet Chika didn’t seem bothered by seeing it.

“For me, it makes me kinda excited, to be honest.” Chika admitted, giggling to herself. “I think red is supposed to symbolize passion, right? Which means that my soulmate is a person who’s passionate about the things they like. I’d love to get to know someone like that. Plus, it makes me curious about what my own color is.”

Riko stared at Chika with a look of disbelief etched on her face. “...you’re weird.”

“I get that a lot!”

Riko shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone who was happy that they couldn’t see a color.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m _happy_ about it, but it’s better to think about these things positively!” Chika said, her eyes moving back towards Riko. “What do you think, Riko-chan? Don’t you agree?"

“...not really, if I’m being honest.” Riko hated to see Chika sad, but she had to be honest. There was no way she could adopt Chika’s positive outlook so quickly.

“Aww.” Chika frowned, then sighed. “Well, it was worth a shot.”

Chika bounced back quickly, her smile returning as she thought of something else to do. “Hey, Riko-chan, you like reading books, right? I saw you reading those books and you looked like you were pretty into it.” Riko’s cheeks turned a bright shade of red. Regardless, she nodded, knowing there was no use hiding it. “Well, you know how I promised to show you around Numazu? I know a good bookstore there. If you want, I can show you around after school!.”

Riko froze. She needed more books, and she wanted to see what the stores here had in their collection that she didn’t own yet. This was a golden opportunity for her.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind if you have no problems with it.”

“Great! We’ll take the bus after school straight to Numazu.” Chika smiled so brightly that it was almost blinding for Riko. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay Riko-chan?”

“Yeah, okay.” Riko watched as Chika finally closed her windows, before walking away from her balcony. As she laid down on her bed and opened her book, she thought about how she couldn’t wait to go out with Chika tomorrow.

_...wait a second. Go out?!_

Her jaw dropped as she realized that this might’ve been a date. Even though the more likely probability was that it wasn’t a date, at least not in the romantic sense, Riko knew it didn’t matter. She was going to overthink this until morning at least. She just hoped that she won’t look too horrible when she meets up with Chika.

 

* * *

 

 _‘Fuck school cleaning duty…’_ You moaned inside her head, immediately chiding herself for cursing like a sailor. Still a few years to go to become one...

Her and Yoshiko’s plans to hang out at the arcade had been double-crossed by a wave of the flu. Or rather… that’s what the twenty or-so students who didn’t come in to school that day excused themselves with.

Now Yoshiko and You, through incredible amounts of bad luck, were both stuck on cleaning duty! And it angered them to the point of… slacking off. Not doing their jobs properly, or at all. They were bumping around into stuff, taking ten minutes to sweep the floor in each individual room, leaving desks awry. Instead of leaving the school a bit before twelve, they were still stuck inside at 1PM, and wasting the weekend like that was getting on You’s nerves.

 _‘only my railgun’_  was blaring through the school’s PA system ad nauseam, Dia being unable to stop Yoshiko from plugging her phone in into it, being stumped by You’s argument that the third year herself had blasted µ's all through the last school year, Dia’s favorite idol group.

Another short burst of energy hit You as the song hit its climax, the second year banging her head up and down and air guitaring using the broom to the beat of the song, but the song abruptly ended, the silence ringing through the empty halls of Shoushin

Then! She heard rapid footsteps outside, getting closer and closer to her location. Curious, she leaned out of the classroom to check it out, and found Yoshiko desperately running over with her phone and bag in hand. She slid to a stop in front of You, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her body up.

“Move it! Dia went home, the Vice Pres is about to come down to check on us, she’ll chew us out when she notices the state everything is in! Let’s leg it!” She squeaked out at the speed of light and booked it for the staircase leading down.

Yes! This was their opportunity to make a run for it and not stay in school up ‘till late. They should be able to catch the bus to the arcade and hit the perfect window of the morning crowd leaving the arcade and the afternoon crowd only trickling in.

Gasping for the breath, the two local idiots sat down in the bus and waited for it to depart. Yoshiko was about to say something, but You clamped a hand over her mouth to stop her, having noticed something - the annoyed first year followed her friend’s line of sight to a person sitting several seats in front of them.

Characteristic, straight silky black hair shone in the early afternoon sun, defying the wind blowing through the open windows of the vehicle. It was Kurosawa Dia, the very last person that You wanted to find out about them blowing off their responsibilities.

Soft buzzing in Yoshiko’s pocket brought her attention away from the StuCo President. It was a text from the very girl sitting next to her. _‘What do we do?’_  It said. She turned to the girl sitting beside her and put her finger to her own lips, the two nodding at once.

Lifting up her hand, You pointed twice at the third year and made a motion of walking with her index and middle finger. Yohane looked confused for a short while, but quickly caught on - they were going to follow Dia!

She barely stopped her guttural chuckle, catching herself just in time. The bus started up, and ride passed mostly in silence,  save for a few quiet giggles. Several texts sent between the two were their only means of communication, being careful not to make a peep.

Halfway through the ride, someone called Dia on the phone, her two favorite creepy juniors straining their ears to pick up on bits and pieces of the conversation.

“Moshi moshi, Dia speaking. Ah, Ruby, yes, I already finished. I see. I see. Yes, if you’ll hit up the Ikebukuro bookstore, please do pick up the newest Idolish Weekly for me? I’ll check After School Activity’s newest update and come home. Thank you, Ruby, have fun!”

Yoshiko and You exchanged a knowing look, sharing a smirk. They would surprise Dia on the way to her destination, spooking her for a shared laugh.

After all, they were _all_ going to the Arcade.

 

* * *

  
“Welcome!" 

The cheerful voices of the bookstore’s employees greet Chika and Riko as they walk into Ikebukuro. It was larger than Riko expected, the sheer amount of books lining the walls and shelves almost rivalling the stores in Tokyo.

Riko’s eyes sparkled; she couldn’t wait to see what this place had in store for her.

Riko didn’t waste any time before she started wandering around, glancing at each book cover for only a few seconds before deciding on whether or not to buy it. With her having received some extra money from her mother, she could buy as many books as she wanted today.

Chika was quietly following behind her, uninterested by all of the novels surrounding them. “So, Riko-chan. You like romance, huh?” Chika asked, observing all of the books Riko was picking up. Riko came to a screeching stop, causing Chika to bump into her. “Owww.”

“Kinda,” Riko answered, red with embarrassment as she hesitated to pick up another one of those books. Did Chika think she was weird for buying only romance books, and so many of them? Probably. Then she realized that it probably wouldn’t change anything; Chika didn’t seem like a person who would judge someone else’s hobby. With that, she added the book to her shopping basket. “Even if people say that all romance is basically the same thing, there’s actually a lot of variety in execution.” That was only one of the reasons Riko liked the genre, but it sounded reasonable. There’s no way she could admit to living vicariously through the protagonists in the books she reads.

“Really? That’s pretty neat,” Chika said. She’s glad that Riko can enjoy herself here, but it was hard for Chika to remain interested for too long. However, as she glanced at one of the shelves, she found something that immediately caught her eye. Sitting on the top rack, she saw the newest issue of Idolish Weekly, featuring Kousaka Honoka, Ayase Eli, and Sonoda Umi on the cover. Just her luck, too, because it was the last copy they had.

She quickly took it from its spot on the shelf, drawing a curious look from Riko. “You’re into idols?”

“Yep!” Chika nodded, smiling to herself as she stared at Honoka’s face on the cover. “I love idols! They’re so amazing, they can inspire you to do anything.” Chika was practically bouncing from joy as she clutched the magazine tightly.

But as she’d soon discover, Chika wasn’t the only idol fan in the store at the time.

“U-uhm, excuse me!” Behind them, someone called out in a high voice. “T-that magazine you’re holding...c-could I have it?”

That voice was familiar to Chika. Turning around, her smile grew wider as she looked at a girl with red hair tied into pigtails, and bright green eyes. “Ruby-chan.”

“Oh, C-Chika-chan, it’s you.” Ruby looked relieved when she saw it was Chika, glad that she wouldn’t have to confront a stranger. “I-I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Haha, yeah! I was actually just showing Riko-chan around.” She motioned towards the girl standing beside her. “What about you?”

“U-um, I was just accompanying Hanamaru-chan, but then Onee-chan asked me to pick up a copy of Idolish Weekly while I was here.”

Chika wasn’t surprised to hear that. From the day she met Ruby and Hanamaru, she’s never seen one without the other for long. Despite that, and the fact that they were soulmates, they were still shy when it came to doing anything more than handholding. It was cute, in a way.

“Ruby-chan? Did you get the magazine?” Hanamaru approached Ruby from behind, pushing forward a trolley with piles of books on top of it. She was smiling as she looked at the redhead, but her expression turned into one of surprise when she noticed the person standing in front of Ruby. “Chika-chan? I didn’t expect to see you here, zura.”

“Why does everyone say that? Do you two assume I don’t read books for fun or something? Is it that surprising for me to be in a bookstore?” Ruby and Hanamaru gave her a look that said _“yes it is,”_ while Riko was more focused on a different part of Hanamaru’s statement.

“Zura?” As the unfamiliar word left her mouth, she immediately felt the other three staring at her.

“P-please ignore that, zu-” Hanamaru clamped her hands over her own mouth, as if forcibly stopping herself from saying it. Riko was still confused, but Hanamaru looked like she was silently pleading for her not to pry further...so she didn’t. Instead, she turned towards Ruby and Chika, eavesdropping on their conversation.

“-I’ll even let you read it first, but I need to take it home with me,” Ruby said.

“But I want to bring it home, too!” Chika whined, pouting as she held the magazine against her chest.

“Please? Onee-chan will be really sad if I come home empty-handed.”

“Well, we can’t let that happen, can we?” Chika sighed. She met Dia this Monday when the older girl picked Ruby up from Uranohoshi, and then got closer to her when they met again at the music store and discovered a mutual interest in school idols, especially µ's. Despite being cold and serious the first time they met, she revealed a more playful, yet passionate side when she spoke about her favorite idols. Chika knew just how much the group meant to her, which is why she was split on what to do.

In the end, Ruby’s puppy-dog eyes won her over. “Fine. But I want to read it first.”

“Deal.” Ruby smiled, looking awfully pleased with herself. Chika didn’t even know that ‘smug’ was a word that could describe the cute first-year. “We can read it together right now. There’s a reading area in this store!”

“Oh. Then… Sure, I guess.” Ruby seemed more driven than usual, something that surprised even Hanamaru. The two ran off with the magazine, leaving Riko all alone with the first year.

“So… Hanamaru-san, was it? A-Ahaha...”

Meanwhile, the two idol fans got comfortable on a sofa, the rag held in Ruby’s hand as Chika pointed out interesting tidbits of information. Some stuff about Glitter*Green disbanding, a _Korekara no Someday_ -themed µ's wall poster that featured them in maid outfits on the backdrop of Akihabara’s late afternoon scenery, an interview with Aki Hata, world-renowned lyricist known for working with big name idol groups. A few short interviews with other big-shots in the industry, some sneak peeks, a few other articles, some prettied up ads, a SIFAC code and that was it for the magazine.

Ruby closed the magazine, putting it on her lap, before looking the older girl in the eyes.

“Chika-chan… What are your intentions in regards to Sakurauchi-san?” She asked, her tone formal and serious, not unlike Dia’s way of speaking.

“ _Intentions_?” Chika repeated, her tone one of disbelief as she stared at Ruby. “What do you mean by that?”

“Do you like her?” Despite the innocent phrasing of the question, Chika could guess from the look Ruby was giving her that she didn’t mean ‘like’ in a friend sense.

“Ruby-chan, I think you’re misunderstanding.”

“R-really?” Ruby blushed in embarrassment, immediately losing her cool. “I-I’m sorry for assuming things.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine~” Chika laughed, patting Ruby on the back to assure her that she wasn’t offended. “I mean, don’t get me wrong… Riko-chan is really pretty, and she’s a nice person, but we just met a few days ago... not that there’s anything _wrong_ with wanting to go out with someone after a few days! But it’s just not for me.”

Chika’s explanation seemed to have satisfied Ruby for now, despite the confusion still showing on her face. Ruby turned her gaze towards the cash register, where Hanamaru and Riko could be seen paying for their books. While she and Chika were reading, it looked like the pair were able to bond as well. Ruby smiled; she was glad to see Hanamaru opening up to more people.

“Sorry, I made you feel awkward with all of those weird questions, didn’t I?” She asked guiltily, glancing at Chika to see if she was angry. Chika, on the other hand, gave her a bright, cheerful smile.

“Nah. Like I said, it’s fine!” Chika answered, although she couldn’t help but be a bit curious about why Ruby asked her those questions. “Is there a reason behind it?” Noticing Ruby’s hesitation, she added, “No pressure! You don’t have to tell me if you don’t wanna."

“...it’s not that big of a deal.” Ruby muttered. “It’s just… I-I thought you two were a thing, so I was hoping that I could ask you for advice.”

“Advice?” Ruby nodded. “Like...relationship advice?” Ruby blushed bright red, but nodded again.

“Since Onee-chan doesn’t have any experience either, I can’t ask her about these things. And you’re kind of like an older sister for me, so I thought I could ask you…”

“Ruby-chan.” Chika put a hand on the other girl’s shoulder, shaking it gently. “Although I’m glad you thought about asking me for help, I’m pretty sure you don’t need any advice.” She smiled, motioning towards Hanamaru who wasstill at the cash register, paying for her purchases. “You two have been together since middle school! If anything, _I’d_ probably be the one who has to ask _you_ for advice!”

“R-really?”

“Really!” Chika said encouragingly, giving Ruby another bright smile.

“T-then, I’ll do my Rubesty!”

“That’s the spirit!” The two girls shared a giggle, which was interrupted by Hanamaru and Riko approaching them.

“Ruby-chan, Chika-chan, are you two done with the magazine, zura?” Hanamaru asked, staring curiously at the magazine between them.

“We are,” Chika said, noticing the two plastic bags Riko was holding in her hands, and Hanamaru’s bundle that was made from a sheet of green fabric, full of books. Ruby, upon seeing Hanamaru, quickly walked up to Hanamaru and gave her a big hug. _Cute_ , Chika thought, smiling to herself.

“Hanamaru-chan, where do you want to go next?”

“Let’s go back to your house, Ruby-chan! I bought some books that I think you’ll like, zura!”

“Sure!” Turning towards Chika and Riko, Ruby waved at the pair. “Have fun, you two.”

“Bye-bye.” They wave back, Chika much more enthusiastically than Riko. As they finally left the building, Riko turned to the other girl and said, “they’re cute.”

“They are!” Chika nodded in approval. “So Riko-chan, you’re done here?”

“For now.” Riko lifted the hefty plastic bags. “It’ll take me a while to go through all of these, but I’ll come back. They have lots of books I’ve never seen before.”

“I’m glad you like it! Those look heavy, though. Need a hand?” Chika extended her hand, and Riko gladly accepted the offer, giving her one of the bags.

It was much heavier than it looked. Chika was surprised that Riko could carry two of them without breaking a sweat. Still, Chika could handle this much, at least.

“Let’s head home.” Riko began walking in the direction of the bus stop, before she could get very far, Chika reached out and held onto her arm, forcing her to stop. “Chika-san?”

“It’s still too early to head back! Let’s check out some of the other places, first.” Chika headed in the opposite direction, dragging Riko with her as they began wandering around aimlessly.

Well, she might as well enjoy it.

 

* * *

 

[ Purely electronic music was blasting ](https://soundcloud.com/pvndy/mezame) as Yoshiko and You entered the arcade with Dia in tow, whom they were both flanking. She was being dragged along by them by the arms, a disgruntled, exasperated expression on her face. 

“Must I put up with your fanfare, Yoshiko-san, You-san?” Dia asked, with more venom in her voice than intended. They passed by the official _Love Live!_ Machines as Dia lovingly, longingly gazed after them, but they moved past them to the crane games section.

“Of course you don’t have to, assuming you’re strong enough to break out of our grips!” You replied, cheerfully, with a smirk that dared Dia to try and wrestle out of the athlete’s grasp.

“You-san getting back at me for bossing her around last year I... understand… but you? Yoshiko-san, what did I ever do to you?” Dia lamented, shooting the first year a nasty, pleading, guilt-inducing Look. A gaze tried and tested against mischievous first years who liked to steal cookies from the pantry and nice clothes from their _onee-chan’s_ closets.

Now, Yoshiko wasn’t about to tell Dia that she found her very cute, and simply wanted to spend time together in whatever way made it possible... but Yohane was very much up to the task of making up an inane excuse.

“Forsooth, you hath ne’er harmed a hair on mine head… The truth lies within your own person! You are an angelic creature, and it goes against my nature to let you be!” She bellowed, one hand going towards the sky, shaking a fist against the heavens.

You chuckled at her friend’s antics, blowing into a full-on laugh when she saw the face Dia was making - something between fear for her own safety and worry for the disturbed first year. The look suited her, the sailor would make sure to coax a few more grand, illusional speeches out of Yohane in the next hours.

Eventually, they stopped by one of the crane machines, Dia looking it up and down. It was filled to brim with µ's nesoberi plushies of, surprisingly, all sizes. From slightly bigger than a keychain, to the grand, one-metre long Tera Jumbo nesos.

The Student Council President was very familiar with this particular piece of work, and she held a grudge against it, for it refused to give her Snow Halation Tera Eli! No matter how many coins she’d used, the machine refused to cooperate...

“A Love Live machine…?” Dia questioned the two girls, who surprised her by shooting her a shared expectant look. Yoshiko put a coin into the machine, pushing Dia forward a tiny bit. “What is this? Am I being held hostage until I get you two a neso?”

“Just a big old Nico for Yoshiko-chan here!” You exclaimed, grabbing the aforementioned into a tight side hug. The first year managed to squeeze out of the hug with an ‘ _oomph_ ’, walking up to the glass pane of the crane game, pointing to something inside.

Dia followed the trajectory of Yoshiko’s finger, her eyes landing on a cute, average-sized Sunny Day Song Nico, complete with the adorable red-white ribbons on her pigtails. The plushie was a new addition from an exceptionally rare set, and Dia _wanted it._

“You… like Yazawa Nico, Yoshiko-san?” Dia asked, her voice quivering a bit. It was hard to keep herself in line when it came to her idol passion, as she had gotten burned more than once by an empty look when she started talking about her favorite group - so she rarely brought the topic of idols up.

“Yeah! She’s the cutest little demon!” One look at Yoshiko’s face knocked off all mischievous, villainous plans of snatching the Neso for herself, the childlike wonder reminding Dia of how she herself used to act when she first discovered µ's.

“We heard from your classmates that you’re really good at crane games!” Came from You, piquing Dia’s interest. The brunette had always wondered how her peers viewed her and what they said about her when she wasn’t listening. “You once held a charity lottery of various Nesos you got from this very arcade! One person said that you got a plushie on each play!”

The high praise did strike Dia fancy, and considering how cute Yoshiko was looking… Dia decided to give the traitorous machine one last run for its money as she stepped up to the controls with a renewed fire in her eyes.

 

* * *

 

“An… arcade?” Riko’s questioned echoed on the walls of the rather empty street. Despite it being the best part of the weekend to be up and out in town, aside from the city centre most people were holed up inside cafes, restaurants, malls, shops and the like. It was quite chilly outside, after all, the sun not beaming nearly strong enough to counteract the humid wind.

“Yep! You ever been to one of these?” Chika asked, innocent curiosity flaring up on her face. Riko didn’t have the heart to tell her that nobody ever asked her to go, despite them being common hangout places for all kinds of groups of young people, so she just shook her head.

The two of them walked in, Riko taking in the variety of sharp, neon colors flashing all around, the ambient, electric gray lightning in the unlit building striking _something_ in Riko’s heart. She started wondering how nice this arcade would really look if she could see the blue hue of the whole room. As it stood, the arcade machines and stray, changing light beams were the only solace from the stifling grayscale of the entire room, as if it were frozen in time.

She needed a moment.

“Um. Toilet.” She said under her breath, handing the second bag of books over to Chika and dashing off in the direction of the restroom. Chika had half a mind to chase after the redhead, but ultimately decided against it, still worried in regards to the girl’s hastened pace. She decided not to pry, either, were Riko to eventually come back.

Satisfied with her choice, she scanned the room, the stray reds-turned-gray some much needed reprieve from the incessant blinding lights flashing all around on the main floor, near the DDR machines. No familiar faces on those, so she moved in further, to the game machines, and lo and behold! Her two current favorite people in the world playing on one machine!

Chika jogged up to the two familiar girls, noticing someone else from the corner of her eye. It was a rather peculiar person that made her stop in her tracks, mouth agape. They were… Strikingly beautiful

Distinctive dark blue hair flowed down to her shoulders, done up in a curious bun on the right side of her head. She was dressed in a different outfit to hers, the same one as the two girls next to her, friends of Chika, You and Dia.

A differently-colored ribbon as well - connecting two and two together, Chika came to the realization that this was a cute kouhai of theirs! Brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear, the younger girl’s gaze met hers, surprising Chika with the color of her eyes. They were almost completely gray, a tiny bit of purple sneaking in between the dark spots.

Changing her course slightly, the ginger headed for the tall first year instead, coming face to face with her, her two companions being none the wiser about the mikan-scented lady killer preying on their cute junior.

“Hey there, I’m Chika and you’re pretty, what’s your name?” Chika asked, earning an intrigued look from the pretty girl who was, surprisingly, actually taller than her! The beauty decided to humor her, introducing herself with an angelic voice. Yoshiko was her name.

“Ah, Chika-chan!”  
“Chika-san!?”

Chika and Yoshiko turned to the two voices, the former being reminded of why she came over to the group in the first place. “Ah! You-chan, Dia-san! It’s great to see you!”

“Hey, likewise! What are you doing in here? Hitting on random girls as always, Romeo?” You teased her, poking her in the ribs, eliciting giggles from Chika.

“You two know her?” Yoshiko looked on as You wrapped an arm around Chika’s neck and pulled her closer.

“Yeah! Our parents know each other so we’ve been together since we were babies!"

“Yep!” Chika nodded, before shooting Yoshiko a wink. “Since I already know these two, how about you and me get to know each other?”

Yoshiko’s cheeks turned bright red, while You and Dia stared at Chika with their mouths gaping open. You was the first to recover and react, saying, “I can’t believe you’re flirting with my bestie right in front of me! My childhood friend has turned into a womanizer!”

“And I’m guessing these are the reason for that.” While Chika was distracted, Dia was able to sneak up behind her and peek into the plastic bags in her hands, the LED lights helping her see the book covers. “ _Love Don, Kouhai Kabedon?_ Is there something you’re not telling us, Chika-san?”

“Wait, hold on, I can explain.” Chika put up her hands in front of her, defending herself from the weird looks she was receiving from You and Yoshiko. “This isn’t mine! I’m just holding it for a friend.”

“Sure. A _friend_ ,” You said, her tone sarcastic; it’s clear that she didn’t believe a word Chika said. “And that friend’s name? Albert Einstein.”

“No, You, I’m being serious here!”

“Look, Chika, it’s fine,” Dia said, trying to reassure Chika, “even if your tastes are a bit...strange, what you do in the space of your own home doesn’t matter as long as you’re not hurting anyone and it’s not illegal.”

“Yeah.” You nodded in agreement. “You’re still Chika, whether or not you have a crippling _kouhai_ complex.”

“I’m telling you two, you’ve got it all wrong!” Chika exclaimed. She noticed Yoshiko with a scared look on her face, taking a few steps away from her. “I don’t have a _kouhai_ complex! Seriously, I’m holding this for a friend! She’s my neighbor who just moved in.”

“Your neighbour Totoro?” Dia quipped, covering her smirk with a hand as Chika shot her a glare, Dia averting her gaze, going back to the School Idol Festival game machine, printing out a particularly nice HR of Eli.

“Someone who just moved in?” You asked curiously. She remembered the house next to Chika’s house was uninhabited for a long time, and with the decreasing population in Uchiura, it seemed like that would remain the case forever.

Chika nodded, grateful that You was finally starting to believe her. “She just moved in from Tokyo, so I’m showing her around!”

“So she’s here with you?” Chika nodded. “Then where is she?”

“She’s in the bathroom!” Chika replied cheerfully. “She’s been there since we came in. I don’t think she likes arcades all that much.”

“Is that so…?” You sighed. “Well, the three of us were about to head home, so I guess we can’t meet your friend. But maybe we can meet her some other time?”

You still thought that Chika wasn’t being fully honest about her friend, so she was a bit surprised when the other girl accepted without a second thought. “Sure! What about tomorrow? Are you three free then?”

“Yeah, I’m free.” You looked at her schoolmates. “What about you two?”

“I don’t have anything scheduled tomorrow,” Dia said.

“Me neither.”

“Then it’s settled!” Chika smiled brightly, outshining all of the LEDs in the arcade combined. “I’ll see you all tomorrow!”

The three said their farewells before leaving the arcade, leaving Chika to wait for Riko. Since Riko showed no signs of returning soon, Chika decided that playing a few games of School Idol Festival was in order. Taking out her Nessica card from her wallet as well as a few hundred-yen coins, she put in the coins before scanning the card, letting her profile load. As she chose Snow Halation, she glanced one more time in the direction of the bathroom before putting all of her focus on the machine.

She was able to get a few games in before Riko returned from the bathroom, apologizing for taking so long. Her gaze was locked to the floor, like she was afraid to look up. She took one of the plastic bags back, and with Chika done as well, the two walked out of the arcade. 

“Hey, Riko-chan! Are you free tomorrow?” Chika asked. She just realized that she hadn’t asked Riko about tomorrow, even though You, Dia, and Yoshiko’s visit was supposed to revolve around her. “My friends are coming to hang out, and we were wondering if you wanted to join us?”

“Hmm… I’ll pass,” Riko said, her eyes no longer glued to the ground. “I have to go through my notes before coming back to school.”

“Pleaaaase?” Chika pleaded. “They’re really looking forward to meeting you!”

“They shouldn’t have gotten their hopes up…” Riko muttered, trying to ignore the pleas and puppy eyes of the girl right beside her. “...fine, but not for long, okay? I still have to study.”

“Yay!” Chika cheered, drawing some unwanted attention their way. “You’re the best, Riko-chan.”

Riko sighed, shaking her head. However, she couldn’t hide the smile on her face.

Maybe she was starting to become fond of her cute neighbour.

 

* * *

 

The fated day of meeting Chika’s imaginary friend arrived, and You bet all her chips on one card. She came in the laziest outfit imaginable - a pink, open visor she bought way back, when she was still interested in playing tennis. A white and blue striped undershirt, covered by a breathable hoodie, running shoes and tracksuit pants, all either yellow or gray - she couldn’t tell, but either one made her look like a fashion disaster, and she was well aware of that. 

If she was going to waste her time with Chika, who was doubling down on her lies, then she was going to at the very least get a proper run in before and after coming over to her place. Well, it wasn’t like she actually thought that getting to spend time with Chika was a waste of time - she was still her childhood best friend, only they started falling out of contact for reasons mostly unknown to You.

And Yoshiko and Dia were supposed to be there too, so it sounded like a fun hangout between friends on a nice Sunday morning! Her mind wandered like that for the run’s duration, imagining the seemingly-strict Student Council President, the laid back chuuni girl and the goofy mikan lover interact. She took a different route than usual, running through the sand of the Uchiura beach to reach Chika’s house quicker.

Suddenly, something weird appeared in front of her-- and to her left, her right, and directly below her! The sand started taking on weird colors - shades she had never seen started popping up before her eyes, disconcerting her and throwing off her sense of balance.

Yellow! This was You’s last thought before she tripped and fell head-first into the sand, her taste buds getting assaulted by the salty, grainy rock, sticking to her tongue as she spat the rest of it out, coughing it out of her throat.

‘ _Wait, this means…’_ You thought to herself, just as she heard soft, albeit hurried footsteps in the sand. She rolled around onto her back, looking at the blue sky which looked so much more beautiful, what with the now-yellow sun casting its hue over it, softening the prior gray hue all over the world. The cute redhead standing over her head with worry etched on her face, her head casting a shadow over the two of them was a pretty nice sight, too.

“Um, are you okay?” She asked in the most angelic voice You ever had the pleasure of hearing. She was dressed elegantly, her knee-length casual dress fluttering in the air. Her enchanting eyes struck a particular chord in You, especially the color of the irides.

They were amber in color - an alien color previously unknown to You. And suddenly, all her worries were alleviated. She gave her a grin and pushed herself up, supporting her body with her arms, before giving the other girl an honest salute.

 

“Hahaha, never better!"


End file.
